People's United Commune of South Birts for Jesus
"A nation united at last. The long oppressed have risen up, and shaken off the shackles that have held back those that follow the our Lord, Jesus Christ, and together, stood up to the bullying of the Tribes. Never again shall the Birtish Christians be suppressed." ''- Comrade Olav Horsta, Christmas address 1908. ''"Our southern neighbours disgust me. They claim to be Birts, yet have abandoned the Spirits in favour of the teachings of Jesus." - Chieftan Wilkinson V, 1921. History The People's United Commune of South Birts for Jesus (PUCSBJ) officially declared independence on 25th December 1908 following the First Birtish Civil War. The seeds of PUCSBJ were sown in the 15th and 16th Centuries, when the Kalmar Union sent a large number of Christian missionaries to the Birtish Tribes in an attempt to convert the Birtish, and create a less aggressive northern neighbour. Whilst the success of the missionaries was limited, they did manage to convert some of the Birtish. These converts, who at that time made up about 5% of the population, gathered together, and abandoned the traditional nomadic way of life, and settled in the southern realms of the Birtish lands. Here, they worked the land with no official central government, although the priests of the Birtish Orthodox Church held much sway. They faced relatively regular raids from the Birtish tribes, but for the most part lived in peace with the northern tribes, by simply having little contact. However, this changed in 1837, when Chieftan Wilkinson I founded the City-State of Birts. This was the first attempt by anyone to impose a central rule over the Christian population. This was mostly unobtrusive, and certainly unaggressive. The Christian population accepted the small tax imposed in exchange for protection from the raiding tribes - for lately raids had been increasing in regularity. Whilst Wilkinson was unable to protect against all raids, his protection certainly made some difference. Following the Daoist coup of 1856, many of Christians expressed a concern for a centralised theocratic government, and certainly this was the first time people started talking about a possible central independently ruled nation for the south. These fears seemed misplaced, at least at the start, as Grand Master Wilkinson II was perfectly happy to continue the arrangement of before with the Theocracy of Birts-Dao. However, Grand Master Wilkinson III, certainly in the latter half of his rule, was less accomodating, and so began the first serious attempts at crushing the Christians. This also sparked the first real attempts at an independence movement, with the foundation of Dera te Vakra Telle (Bears of the Evil Spirits). In 1894, Grand Master Wilkinson IV took control of the Theocracy, and renewed attempts at crushing the Christians. This directly led to the rising of a second independence movement - the Lord's Red Army, which rejected the peaceful tactics of Dera te Vakra Telle, and began a campaign of violence. On 2nd Febuary 1901, the Lord's Red Army bombed the Great Temple of Dao in Birtsmorton. This insult was too much, and Grand Master Wilkinson IV officially declared war against the seperatists, and so began the First Civil War. The war lasted for seven and a half years, and cost many lives, but, supported by New Xanadu and España y Atlantis, the Lord's Red Army was victorious, and founded the People's United Commune of South Birts for Jesus based upon a communist constitution. PUCSBJ flourished in its new found independence, quickly becoming more productive and affluent, whilst the few members of the Tribes who had settled now returned to their nomadic life. With a new united government, for the first time the Christians could really protect themselves from the tribes. Only one raid was ever made into PUCSBJ, and the swift and decisive retribution meant that no other war bands ever crossed the borders of the PUCSBJ. In 1914, the First World War broke out. Still only recently granted sovereignty, the people of PUCSBJ felt that it wouldn't be in their best interests to join the war, and remained slidly neutral throughout the conflict. World War II left them no such options, when in 1940 the Nazi's invaded the Birtish lands. The PUCSBJ attempted to fight, but were swiftly overun by the far superior German army. The Commune was then subjected to occupation. Whilst a low level guerilla campaign was fought, it wasn't significant, and it wasn't until the Tribes pushed the Nazis out in 1944 that the occupation came to an end. There were fears then that the victorious tribes would attempt their own form of occupation, but this never emerged. In 1984, the Second Civil War, or War of Unification, started. Initially the PUCSBJ stayed out of the conflict, prefering to leave the tribes to fight it out alone. However, when New Xanadu, PUCSBJ's closest ally, entered the war to try to protect self-determination for the independent tribes, the PUCSBJ declared war in support of them. This ended the uneasy yet stable peace that had existed between the communist Christian south and the northern Tribes that had existed since 1909. Ultimately, the PUCSBJ failed to make any significant impact upon the outcome of the civil war, as their brief invasion was beaten back, and they after remained in their own borders. After Great Khan Wilkinson I secured the final tribes to form the Empire of the Birtish Tribes, a peace treaty between the PUCSBJ and the new Birtish Empire was signed. However, the peace was never as stable as before. The PUCSBJ were concerned about a truly united tribal force to the north, and the Great Khan disliked not having complete domination of all Birtish people. Paramilitary skirmishes regularly broke out between unhappy civilians both sides of the border. In 1991, this escalated. Following a rocket attack upon a Nwrt religious tribal gathering, the failure of the PUCSBJ to act led to the Great Khan declaring war. The Imperial army crossed the border on June 1st 1991, and meant now resistance at all. Unexpectedly, the entire communist government collapsed. Probably a spill over from the issues afflicting all the other communist states at this time, infighting left the PUCSBJ unable to respond to the invasion. On June 12th 1991, the People's United Commune of South Birts for Jesus was officially annexed to become part of the Empire of the Birtish Tribes, uniting all Birtish people under Great Khan James Wilkinson I rule. This wasn't quite the end of the dream for an independent Christian south. In the Third Birtish Civil War, one of the factions to form was the Nova Lord's Red Army, attempting to reinstate the Commune. However, they were swiftly beaten by the other armies in the war, and never secured the wide base of support of the Christians that the first Lord's Red Army enjoyed. Following the end of the war, and the formation of the United Birtish Territories by Great Khan James Wilkinson II, the Christian south was given a level of self-determination, when one of the territories was to be Sud Birts Christus, which exactly followed the borders of the old Commune. Whilst Wilkinson appointed a close ally as Commander of the territory, the people were free to elect whoever they wanted as Governer. The first man elected was a bishop in the Birtish Orthodox Church. Leadership The People's United Commune of South Birts for Jesus was originally ruled by the Grand Council. The Grand Council consisted of 25 elected members who served for two years at a time, and couldn't serve more than a single term. From this 25, they coopted one member to be Head of the Council. This system was abolished in 1938. In response to the growing threat from Nazi Germany, and internal pressure from opponents to the Commune, the Grand Council was rebranded the Comrades Council, and members were now appointed by the Glorious Leader, the new supreme authority of the country. Glorious Leaders were selected by the predecessor, and were only supposed to serve 5 years, but this system was very open to abuse. Former Leaders: Head of the Council (1908-1938): *1908-1910: Comrade Olav Horsta *1911-1912: Comrade Anders Grandalsenn *1913-1914: Comrade James Horsta *1915-1916: Comrade Martha Olavsenn *1917-1918: Comrade Havelock Wilkase *1919-1920: Comrade Havelock Grentansenn *1921-1922: Comrade Olav Wilkasenn *1923-1924: Comrade Zebidiah Briaknord *1925-1926: Comrade Petter Horsta *1927-1928: Comrade Jon Iscarat *1929-1930: Comrade Sulamen Oliv *1931-1932: Comrade Sulamen Sekh *1933-1934: Comrade Grandal Sekh *1935-1936: Comrade Matthia Reft *1937-1938: Comrade Olya Achtoma Glorious Leaders (1938-1991): *1938-1940: Comrade Olya Achtoma *1940-1945: Comrade Matthia Reft (leader of the PUCSBJ resistance) *1945-1949: Comrade Zebidiah Qrdsqek *1949-1954: Comrade Jon Grandalsenn *1954-1959: Comrade Father James Gragh *1959-1960: Comrade Sulamen Briaknord *1960-1969: Comrade Olav Hawq *1969-1981: Comrade Olya Sulasenn *1981-1982: Comrade Petter Qrtasmenn *1982-1986: Comrade Matthia Playe *1986-1989: Comrade Ezra Hawqremenn *1989-1990: Comrade Matthia Playe *Febuary 1990-August 1990: Comrade Gedaria Graghsenn *August 1990-November 1990: Comrade Jed Febru *November 1990-March 1991: Comrade Jon Sparrows *March 1991-April 1991: Comrade Sulamen Andersenn *April 1991-June 1991: Comrade Anders Olavsenn *June 1991: Comrade Matthia Olyasenn Category:UBT